Sunday, November 30, 2008

Internet Issues

I have been without Internet Connection today - ran into some issues with the main computer and the Internet connection. See - the main computer is in L's room. When I went in there today to finish doing some straightening I noticed that there was a message popped up on the desktop - it was a warning box stating that something was corrupt. I shut down the computer and then it wouldn't start back up - I had to search through the computer desk to find the start up disc. This is the second time that L has corrupted this computer - she has corrupted 3 computers in all - my PC Laptop, her old PC Laptop, and then this desktop twice. She is like a magnet for the blue screen of death. I have gotten everything restarted - there are still a few things that need to be reloaded but at least I am able to connect to the Internet again.

Why is it that when you are cleaning things out and trying to get organized the house seems to look worse than it did before. I have been working bit by bit this weekend to reorganize the house. I pulled all of my beads out of hiding and they are now sitting in the living room - I plan on putting them in L's room which is now the office/craft room - I still need to finish cleaning out L's room. I re-organized my kitchen which included pulling some items out of storage so now I have boxes in the dining area and hand-me-down items for L sitting on top of the boxes of her stuff. It's like having half done projects laying around the and it looks like I didn't accomplish anything this long weekend.

I think I almost need to take off a week just so I can get everything organized. I also need to break it down in to small projects instead of trying to get it all done at once.

De

Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day is over and now it's a 3-Day weekend! I spent Thanksgiving at my in-laws house with L - this is where she is living right now. Dinner was really good!! Roast, scalloped potatoes - made with real potatoes not boxed!! I didn't even know you could make those from scratch. We had lots of desserts too - the pumpkin and lemon tarts I made, pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, and an apple cherry pie. L was pretty much her same old self. She was getting ready to head out to join up with friends and Bama asked her some questions about where she was going and L ended up stomping her way back to her room. I had an opportunity to talk to Bama about how things were going with L - she's following rules - coming home when she says she's going to be - not managing her money at all. I found out something very interesting. L has been calling me out of frustration saying how she has to ask for gas money - has no money in her account to cover anything she might need to get - that it's her money and she should have some control over it. Talking to Bama last night I found out that they give L $150 allowance each week from her paycheck to cover gas - food - incidentals. So when she comes a cryin to me about how poor she is and how she has to ask for every little bit of money she's telling me a great big story. She just runs through her $150 and then is upset because now she has to try and live on nothing until her next allowance. I also found out that they have told her she can stay with them until the first of the year and then she has to move out. She has done nothing to find a place on her own - she is an 18 year old with a 12 year old maturity. I guess they set up a family meeting time with her to see if they could come up with a plan where she could work things out with me - L says she misses being at home and wants to come back - the day they were going to talk, L just went straight to her room. I told Merilyn that at this time there is nothing L could do - she is not coming back to live here.

This morning I got up at 800 and was out of the house by 930 - no I did not go shopping to hit the after Thanksgiving sales - I had to go to the Klahanie Vet and get Muppets meds. I had called Tuesday morning to get them but when I went by on Wednesday they hadn't put them together and the Vet was already gone for the day. So I grabbed them this morning - don't want her having any seizures this weekend. After that I decided to go grab a Starbucks - it was very very crowded - and they got my drink wrong which I didn't notice until I got to the car. I wasn't go back in though I just wanted to get back to the safety and uncrowdedness (not sure if that's a word!) of my home. Today is going to be a catch up on Tivo'd shows and do some chores day. Love long weekends!

De

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

OMG! Grocery Stores!

Going to the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving is just plain crazy!! I wasn't even planning on going but on my drive home from work today I realized I needed evaporated milk for the Pumpkin Tarts. I though - no big deal - it's only 430 - I just need to run in and grab 1 thing - I should be in and out in no time. The parking lot should have been my first sign that it was not going to go that easily. There was absolutely no parking - I went up and down a few aisles before I finally came across a car backing out. I grabbed the spot - grabbed a cart - headed in to the store. It was crowded and shoppers seemed to be off in their own little worlds. I circled around to the back of the store and made my way to the baking aisle. I wheeled my cart around other people and made my way to the evaporated milk. I grabbed the 2 cans that I needed and started down to the end of the aisle. I only got so far and then I couldn't escape - why you may ask - because of this oblivious lady who had her cart parked right smack in the middle of the aisle right at the very end. There was no way to go around her on either side of her and it wasn't like she was going to just grab something and then get going - she was looking at candles - picking on e up - sniffing it - checking the price - picking up another one - repeat!!!! She was completely ignorant of the fact that she had a back up of people trying to get out of the aisle and then another line of people trying to get in. A lady who was beside me decided she wasn't going to wait and just moved her cart between the ladies cart and the shelves - moving the other cart out of the way. The candle lady was not very happy about that - but for cryin out loud - the day before Thanksgiving in a grocery store you can't just park your cart in the middle. Once I got out of that aisle I decided there were a couple more things I could pick up as long as I was there - by the time I got out of the store I was fit to be tied!! Too many people!!

I headed toward home and stopped to get the mail - no problems there - but when I drove away from the mail boxes I came across a driver who just either wasn't paying attention or felt they should just have the right of way no matter what they were doing. The car was coming towards me and turned in front of me to pull in to a parking spot - the driver must not have liked how they pulled in to the spot because they decided to throw the car in reverse and pull right back out just as I was driving past - they never even stopped - I had to slam on my brakes just in time to avoid getting backed in to. I was like - What The Hell!! Can you not see my car - I have my lights on - you had to have seen me when you turned right in front of me!! I quickly parked my car - grabbed my groceries and headed in. Safely in my own home - away form the crazy people!!

Work was crazy today and so was my visit to the vets but I will leave those for another day. I'm heading to get into my comfortable clothes and sit back for the rest of the evening. I will get up in the morning to do my baking.

Happy Thanksgiving!

De

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Fringe - Lost Connection

One of my new favorite shows this season is Fringe. It is written by the same people that write Lost - another one of my favorite shows. Tonight as I was watching Fringe I saw what some people like to call an Easter Egg - this is when the writers and/or directors put little surprises in their shows to see if people catch them. An example of this would be in the movie Toy Story when they had the tool box say Binford Tools as a kind of shout out to the fact that Tim Allen was the voice of Woody. In tonight's episode of Fringe the "Easter Egg" I saw was at the beginning when Olivia was going through the victims apartment and mentioned that he had purchased a plane ticket - when the camera panned down to the ticket it was for a trip on Oceanic Air!! If you are a fan of Lost then you know that Oceanic Air is the plane that crashes! Thank Goodness for the rewind on my TV - I saw it but I wasn't sure so I hit rewind and sure enough - the ticket was for Oceanic Air. Not sure why - but this made me laugh!! I like when I catch little things like that.

I'm going back to the show to see if I catch anything else!!

De

**Note to Mom - Brooke Burke won Dancing With The Stars!**

I'm Just Tired

Well - L came by last night to pick up some mail. She got another letter from Mikey - the friend that is incarcerated. This letter informed her that by the time she got it he will have been transfer ed to Walla Walla which is where he will reside for the rest of his sentence - 7+ more years. Let me just say Yay - she won't be visiting him any time soon! She hung out for about 30 min - she didn't have anywhere to go.

She called me this morning crying - tears of frustration. She was low on gas - needed to fill her tank - had to ask for money - was told no. I don't know all that is going on or what agreements were made in order for her to stay with her grandparents so I told her I wasn't going to get involved. She said she is 18 and doesn't need to be babysat in order to manage her money. I told her that it seemed like she did because she got another overdraft notice in the mail yesterday. This one was for the check she had sent in for the ticket she got last month. She put $124 in her account - wrote the city of Seattle a check - then proceeded to spend the money in her account before the check cleared. She tried to make it the City of Seattle's fault because it took them so long to cash the check. I asked her if she checked her account to make sure everything cleared before she spent money - she didn't seem to get it that she needed to deduct the check amount from her balance until it cleared. So now - not only does she still owe for the ticket - she has overdraft fees to cover - she is almost on empty in her car - she doesn't get paid until next Friday 12/5 - and she hasn't been working full 40 hour weeks due to staffing at work so her paycheck is going to be smaller. I asked her about that part yesterday to see if she was planning on looking for an additional job and/or a new job and the answer was a blank stare and a no. The conversation ended with me telling her that it seemed like she needed to be babysat - she said I don't want to hear things like that - I told her that maybe she needed to talk to someone else then because I wasn't going to be very sympathetic. Not sure how much of that last line she heard because she hung up on me.

I am scheduled to go to her Grandparents house for Thanksgiving - not sure how that is going to go. I advised L that she needed to get her grandparents and her Dad on the phone with her at the same time so they can make sure they all understand what has been agreed to and what the repercussions are for not following the agreement.

This on top of having one of those - I Hate My Life Days - has not made for a good nor productive Tuesday. I drove in today and just want to head home - crawl under the blankets - and sleep the rest of the day.

De

Monday, November 24, 2008

Twilight Movie

I saw the movie Twilight yesterday. My review may upset some people - I thought it was just OK. I felt you could tell that it was a small studio low budget film. There was also so much more in the book that they didn't have in the movie. It seemed like the first half of the movie spent more time showing the scenery than actually telling the story. I got my Twilight fix from the movie but it left me needing more - I may have to read the book again. I hope that with this movie is doing so well they will have a bigger budget for the next one and it will be better. If you have seen the movie let me know what you thought of it.

I am seriously addicted to watching the Shiba Inu Puppies on the net. They are so cute and I love to watch them play - rough house - sleep. It is just relaxing - calming - especially with the economy the way it is - it's a nice free past time that helps you to forget everything else. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/shiba-inu-puppy-cam

I am at work this morning - almost emailed in sick as I'm not feeling 100% - but 3-day work week right before month end I have too much stuff to do. Not to mention the fact I need to collect on my Apple Cup bets!!

De

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Cougar Pride Baby!!!!!!!

Cougar Pride!!! Apple Cup Winners!!!!!

I have to tell ya - I woke up this morning at 11 and I wasn't feeling very well. I watched the first quarter of play and then I fell asleep. I woke up with a little over 2 min left in the 4th Quarter. Oh man - score 10 - 7 and the Cougs needing to make it down the field. We didn't and it was now up to the defense to stop the Huskies with enough time left over for us ot try and make a good play. We got the ball back with 54 seconds on the clock and I really thought the game was over. Who would have thought that this years Coug team could move the ball down the field - have it together enough to line up and spike the ball leaving 2 seconds on the clock - get that kicking team on the field and tie up the game!!! 2 exciting OTs later and the Cougs win the Apple Cup!! The best video clip will be Coach Paul Wulff skipping and leaping out on to the field like a little kid after the winning field goal!!

I won 4 bets on this game!!!!! $5 each from Tony, Divina, and David!!! Bj will be picking up the tab for my Starbucks Breakfast on Monday!!

A very exciting Saturday!! Bragging Rights for the next year!!

De

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Short and Sweet

Tomorrow we are having an Apple Cup Tailgate Party in Finance - all day grazing! I am bringing Cougar Gold Cheese and I made my traditional WSU Sugar Cookies! Fun Fun Fun! I will be wearing my Cougar Jersey and just showing my Cougar Pride!!

I have really been enjoying getting to work early - I get through all my emails and get started on work before anyone else gets there. Then - I get to leave for home while it's still light outside. I have been able to get a lot done at home which is really nice.

Not much else to write about today!

De

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Apples Apples Apples!!!!

Day 3 of wearing the Crimson and Gray!! I wore my T-Shirt today that says - Warning: Hard Core Cougar Fan! You have to be hard core to be seen in your school colors these days. Looking forward to this weekends game is like looking forward to watching a car accident! So horrible but you just can't look away. I will be sitting at home watching the game. I need the Cougs to win for Cougar Pride and for my bank account - I have 3 Bets at $5 a piece and a 4th bet for Starbucks.

To get in the Apple mood I made homemade applesauce tonight. It was easier than I thought it would be and it tastes really good. It was easy for me - I dug out my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler-Corer-Slicer which was a God send. I don't think I would have had the patience to peel and slice all those apples by hand. For dinner I made a meal I remembered from when I was little - Hamburger w/Gravy over mashed potatoes. Tastes just as good as I remembered.

Haven't really heard from L much this week. She ran in and out Monday night to grab her work shirt that she had left here on Saturday. I spoke with her briefly today - she called me on her break - I was working so it was a short conversation.

All In All it was a good day - no drama and I got to cook when I got home!

De

**Apple Cup Trash Talk of The Day:

Bow Wow To Washington (sung to the tune of Bow Down To Washington)

Bow Wow To Washington

Bow Wow To Washington


Heaven help the slobs at Washington


Their falling on their knees at mighty Washington


The boys have come to play, but only for the pay


They never sign the dotted line without a Chevrolet


Oh subsidies the cry at Washington


They never win a game without a referee


And over the land the greasy band will leave a trail to Washington forever

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Too Cute - Too Funny

I heard about this website on the Internet but didn't realize how incredibly cute it was until I started watching it today. If you just need to put a smile on your face just watch this!

The Bottom 10 came out today on the ESPN Website - UW Huskies are listed as the absolute worst team and WSU is second. So if ESPN thinks UW is the worst team why are they picked to win this weekend?!?! ESPN has dubbed the game as The Crapple Cup - it will help settle one of the nations hot topics - Who is worse Huskies or Cougs!! It's great to have national coverage - wish it was for being one of the best teams and not who will end up at the bottom of the pile.

And Now For Some Jokes!!


Q: What do the Huskies and Billy Graham have in common?
A: They both can make 60,000 people stand up and yell "Jesus Christ."

Q: What's the difference between a litter of puppies and UW fans?
A: Eventually puppies grow up and stop whining.

Q: What does the average UW player get on his SAT's?
A: Drool.

Q: Why did they have to cancel the Christmas play at UW last year?
A: They couldn't find 3 wise men and a virgin.

Q: What does it say on the bottom of Coke bottles at UW?
A: Open other end.

Stay Tuned For More Apple Cup Humor!!
De

Bender Has Been Suspended

My favorite morning show in Washington is the Jackie and Bender show on KISS 106.1. Last Friday Bender was pulled out of the studio by Big Boss Becky and we were later informed that he had been suspended for something he had said or done - he wouldn't apologize on air so he was going to be suspended. I spent part of the weekend seeing if I could find out any information on the Internet. Yesterday morning I anxiously awaited the explanation for the suspension.

Yes . . . . . . .Bender has been suspended . . . . . . . . . . he is suspended 65 feet over the Mayflower Truck in the Top Foods parking lot in Edmonds 21900 Hwy 99! Every year right before Thanksgiving Jackie and Bender do a food drive called Thanksgiving on The Mayflower. One of the personalities spends 24 hours a day on top of a Mayflower Truck trying to get the truck filled with donations. This year they don't have much time and with the hard economic times that have hit our area they wanted to make sure there was a lot of buzz surrounding this event. So - Bender is suspended 65 feet above the truck until tomorrow morning at 730. If you are in the area please go to the Top Foods in Edmonds and donate some food. If you can't get up there you can go to jackieandbender.com and donate money online. I'm glad it is just part of this stunt. I was starting to think I was going to have to change radio stations. Jackie and Bender just wouldn't be the same as just Jackie.


Now - as the Seattle Times has put this week - Counting Down To The Rotten Apple Cup! This was their top comment:
1. The Rotten Apple Cup Comment: What happens when bad meets worse? An intriguing game of terrible, we hope. And, by the way, which one is bad and which one is worse?
According to the odds makers in Vegas WSU is worse. They have the Huskies favored by 8 1/2 points. Unbelievable! The game is in Pullman - we have won a game this year - . .. hmmmm that's all I can come up with!
Let The Apple Cup Week Festivities begin!
De

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Time For an L Update

I got to spend some time with L this weekend. You know what - not much has changed.

She stayed with me on Friday night so that she could follow me up to La Conner on Saturday. Well - I should say she crashed here on Friday night. She came by around 700 - stayed here until she could hook up with a friend - she was waiting for a message - she indicated to one of her other friends that they were waiting for this persons neighbor to come home. I'm guessing they needed him for either weed or alcohol. She headed out around 900 - said she would wake me up when she came back in. I got up at 800 in the morning and she was crashed on my couch - nope she didn't wake me up - said she got in around 100 but I don't believe that - why? - well I fell asleep on the couch and headed to my room around 1230 and didn't fall back to sleep until sometime after 100. She got up Saturday and started right in complaining that there was nothing to do - I had told her we weren't leaving for La Conner until around noon so I don't know what she was expecting. She headed out to see a friend and came back around noon. Now - per the previous blog - we didn't set out for La Conner at 1230 we ended up leaving around 145. We got gas and headed on up.

We got to Nana and Papa's around 315 and by 330 L was already being rude and complaining - let's see - the Internet didn't work on her iPod touch - she was starving - when was dinner going to be ready - she came up there for dinner why wasn't it ready. She then got on the phone with her friend Bri - whom she was to hook up with later in the evening - and I'm not sure what they were talking about but I had my suspicions. Let's see - how many people are going to be there - what? I', not sharing my shit with that many people - you know me - I said I would share with just a couple but I'm not sharing with all those people. Where are we going to go - where are we going to stay the night - there's a party out at Alki we could probably hook up with people out there. Dinner was then ready and I have never seen someone wolf down a turkey dinner so fast. We were still eating when she was done and already back on the phone with Bri letting her know she was about to leave. Nana cut her some pie - she ate it and out the door she went. I swear - you would have though I had forced her to come up to their house - I let her know she was more than welcome and she was the one who made the choice to come on up.

I can answer one question about her conversation with Bri - they ended up having nowhere to stay last night. How do I know - well that would be because my cell phone rang at 400 this morning and she said her and Bri were sleeping in her car and it was really uncomfortable could she come in and sleep on the couch - uh L how do you plan on getting in - I thought you could unlock the door - a little difficult seeing as I am still at Nana and Papas - Oh yeah, I forgot you stayed there. . . . . . click. I found out later that she called her Grandparents after me and they ended up letting her and Bri in to their house to sleep.

Not much has changed - she is still rude - the world should revolve around her - and when she doesn't make plans it is someone's job to bail her out.

De

Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone

And we thought my life and Blog might get boring now that L is not living with me anymore. Enter. . . . . . . . . . . . Muppet!!

Yesterday when we were getting ready to head up to Mom and Dad's house Muppet decided to make a little excitement. I was loading things into the cart and clearing out some of the garbage that had accumulated. Muppet went down to the other end of the Condo building to relieve herself. I was keeping an eye on her - put a few things in the garbage bag - look up to make sure was still on the grass. I looked away for a split second - looked back up and she was gone. I ran down to where she had been and there was no sign of her - I could see some wet paw prints where I had last seen her but they didn't lead anywhere. I started calling for her and looking around. L drove up at that time and I told her I had lost Muppet - we both started looking. We walked all over the complex calling for her - I went up and down stair to other units because she gets confused and goes up the wrong stairs sometimes. I walked along the sidewalks in front of the complex and asked other dog walkers if they had seen her. Two of my neighbors - even the mean old grouchy one downstairs - helped to look around for her. We searched for 45 min to an hour and could not find her. L and I were standing by my car and I was crying - thinking someone may have taken her - worried that she was lost and would have a seizure because she didn't have her meds. All of a sudden we heard one small quick bark - definitely belonged to Muppet. We both took off looking around for her again. I went down by the dumpster and went up the stairs to the units by there. There she was - sitting at the top of the stairs not moving just sitting like she was waiting for me to find her!! I was so relieved and hugged her and then told her to never do that again because she had scared the crap out of me. Sometimes that dog can be so stupid and irritating - she had been there the whole time - didn't make any noise when I was calling for her and didn't come running. It was like a game of hide - n - seek that I didn't know I was playing!

Lesson - Muppet doesn't get to be outside without a leash anymore!

De

This is Muppet - I am not the stupid one - Mom is! I did what Mom's always tell there children - if you get lost just stay where you are and wait for Mom to come and find you. It's not my fault that I was at the top of the one set of stairs she didn't come up looking for me! I just sat up there and watched her walk all over the place calling my name - I stayed put just like she said! I was very happy when she finally found me though! I was getting a little nervous and I couldn't stop shaking once she was holding me. I don't like getting lost. Why do all the sets of stairs have to look the same!! If ours were somehow different I wouldn't keep going the wrong way!
I am glad to be home though!

Muppet!

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Incarcerated

I am sitting here trying to think of something exciting and/or profound to write . . . . . . . I'm drawing a blank! Today was a pretty normal day - no drama!

L stopped by briefly tonight to pick up some of her Senior Pictures. She got a letter in the mail yesterday from our of the guys she hung around with about a year and a half ago - one of the Kirkland rats. You're probably thinking - wow an actual letter I thought kids these days only communicated via text or Internet. Well there is a reason why it was in letter form - you see this friend of hers - Mikey - is a "guest" at the Washington Correctional Institute in Shelton. He will be there for the next 9 - 12 years. You see - Mikey wanted to be accepted by this group of guys he wanted to hang around with so one night in 2007 while driving around with these "friends" he decided to jump a guy - stab him - and take his iPod. He stabbed a guy who was walking home - this person survived - after he stabbed him they drove off but then decided to come back and see if the iPod was still at the scene. It wasn't but the cops were there waiting for them. L's attitude concerns me - she still feels like oh poor Mikey. He sent along a form for L to fill out so she could be put on his visitor list. She filled it out and is sending it back along with a letter and pictures. I guess at least he's in jail for 9 years so it's not like he's going to be hanging around any time soon.

De

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

RIP Charlotte . . . . . . . . . . . .

She had to leave us - she was really starting to creep me out. She was getting fatter and juicier and just hanging there over my door. L stopped by tonight to pick up some mail - when I opened the door for her she was standing over to the side and staring up at Charlotte. She moved quickly into the condo! When it was time for her to leave she opened the door and was standing there talking to me - I said don't let Charlotte getcha and she squealed! She then went and got our trust creepy bug killer - a spray bottle of kitchen cleaner. She sprayed Charlotte and soaked her but Charlotte just crawled up the wall and went into the crack between the siding and the roof. L headed downstairs and I had to get Buffy - who had made yet another break for it. Buf wouldn't come in so I had to reach out and grab her - just as I grabbed Buf and pulled her into the doorway and was standing up Charlotte dropped down right in front of me and hung there in the middle of the doorway. She dropped - I screeched - L squealed. I closed the door - grabbed my cell and called L. I told her what happened - she told me to smack her with two shoes - I told her to get her ass back up here and do it - she told me to do it quickly - What happens if I miss her and she drops on me. I opened the door and Charlotte wasn't there anymore - I was about ready to get really creeped out when I saw her on the ground - squish and gone. When she dropped from the ceiling she was so close to landing in my hair - I now have the heebie jeebies and keep thinking I feel spiders crawling on me.

Gotta go check the covers onthe bed to make sure nothing is hiding in there ready to bite me! :)

De

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Battle of The Anti-Bodies!!

I think my body might be winning! I am feeling a little better tonight - either my body is winning or else the Advil I took is wonderful! Hopefully one more good night sleep will do it.

I was talking to someone today about L not living with me anymore and it suddenly hit me - if L isn't here anymore what am I going to write about. I need to start doing some exciting things or else I will get boring and you - my readers - will get bored! Nothing excited happened today - I will keep my eyes opened tomorrow so I have something to write about.

I do have my own little Charlotte living above my door - well maybe I should say I did have my own Charlotte. No - I didn't kill it. She showed up last week and I have been keeping an eye on her - every time I go to leave the house and every time I come home I check to see that she's there and I make sure I am not standing directly under her when I unlock and open the door - I don't want her jumping down on to me. I contemplated knocking her down but I don't do well with spiders that are up high - I just get shivers up and down my spine thinking about how it is going to crawl down what ever I am using to knock down the web and bite me. Tonight when I got home Charlotte was in her regular spot - when I left to take Muppet out to go potty she was there - we were only outside for 1 minute and when we got back up to the door . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charlotte was gone. Dang it - not that I'm sad or going to miss her - but I don't like it when I know a spider was there and now it's gone. Where the hell did she go? Is she in my house - is she just hiding - did she jump onto me without me knowing. It is giving me the heebie jeebies!!!! I will let you know if she shows back up. She better not be laying eggs somewhere.

De

Monday, November 10, 2008

Just Another Monday

I was going to write about my day - nothing much happened and the cold is still trying to gain control of the body - but then I watched what has to be the funniest show on TV - Big Bang Theory! I know I have written about this show before but tonight had to have been the best episode of the season. I laughed out loud at least 3 times during this 1/2 hour show. I'm telling you - if you haven't watched this show you really need to!! Sheldon is hilarious and Penny is great.

I went to Costco after work today - I picked up some of the Butternut Squash Ravioli that I had at Lyd's house on Saturday - Prego Spaghetti Sauce - Canned Pumpkin - a Chicken for Dinner and for sandwiches this week. I was doing so well - only get nutritional items - and then I heard them calling - little tiny voices saying - we're so sweet - we're so gummy - we're so tasty - we know you like to bite our little heads off when you're stressed - I couldn't resist - I purchased a big bag of Gummy Bears! I also found a couple Xmas gifts too - not going to say what they are or who they're for!!!

I am going to head to bed and hope my body kicks this colds ass while I'm asleep.

De

Sunday, November 9, 2008

News At 11 EST

The 500 News was preempted due to a much needed nap! My body is working furiously to fight off the first cold/flu of the season - it may be losing the battle. Here are the tops news stories from this weekend:
  1. L called me at 800 yesterday morning - yes I said 8! From the gal that was usually just heading to bed at that time on weekend. Luckily I had already been up for a few hours so she didn't wake me with the call and I was able to think. She had some questions about how much I paid each month for cable, Internet, and power. I had to look up my bills on line for the cable and Internet because I am billed for them plus my home phone on one bill each month and I didn't know what the break down was. When she asked me about the power I said - well, if you leave the lights and TV on all the time and bump the heat every time you get a chill it will run you about 80+ a month! She responded with - OK so 80+ on the high end - I won't be leaving everything on. Hmmm......once it becomes your own money you understand why the parents were constantly turning off the lights behind you and telling you to go put on a sweater. Yes Dad - I finally understand!
  2. WSU Football - Dads Weekend - Arizona in Pullman. I was so excited! No - we didn't win - but we only lost by 31 points!!! Our opponents may have scored 59 points but we scored 28 points! So we weren't shut out and we ended our streak of losing by 50+ points! Apple Cup in 2 weeks! Aren't you getting excited!
  3. Last night I went to Lyd's house for dinner and then we went to a jewelry party at Bonnie's. The jewelry was really nice but a little bit too pricey for me. I did take one of the catalogues home though - not to purchase items later - but to look at the designs because I think I can make cheaper knock-offs for people for Christmas! Now that I have an extra room I am going to get out all of my beads - take stock of everything I have - and get back to designing.
  4. I met L for lunch today. we met at Target first - I needed to pick up a few things. we then went to Ross - I told L if she could find a cheap pair of black pants I would get them for her for work. She found a pair for $10 - can't get any cheaper than that. We then headed to Red Robin for lunch. It was a nice day - no arguments - she was very polite and actually pretty nice to spend the day with. I got a hug in Target and then when she left I got an I Love You! She is going to come with me this coming Saturday to have an early Thanksgiving Dinner with Nana and Papa.
Those are the top news stories of the day - now to De for the weather! Rain - Rain - and More Rain - with a little bit of Rain!

This is De with the De and L 1100 (EST) News - Good night!

Coming Up On The News At 5!

  1. Spoke with L Saturday morning about items that need to be budgeted for.
  2. WSU Football Game
  3. Jewelry Party with Lyd
  4. Meeting L for lunch this afternoon.
Stay Tuned for these stories and more on the News at 5!

De

Friday, November 7, 2008

Thursday, November 6, 2008

They Are A Blessing

My In-Laws are an absolute blessing - I'm sure not many people who have gone through a divorce can say the same - I am very lucky. L has been staying with them for almost two weeks now. She is following the weekday curfew - has been getting up on her own - getting to work on time - pretty much following the rules. Today I found out that they are working on getting her to realize what a budget is and that you have to think first before you buy. How are they doing this you may ask - What I understand from talking to L this morning is - yesterday was her payday and she had to give her whole check to Bama and Bepa. If she needs money she must talk to them and discuss what it is she thinks she needs and what she is planning on spending the money on. What an absolutely wonderful idea. We all know if I had tried this with her it would have been a very ugly scene. I truly hope L takes this opportunity to learn how to manage her money and to see what it takes to stretch a paycheck to last the whole month. I am so grateful for the Householders. I honestly believe this is a blessing in disguise.

Tomorrow is Friday! This week started out slow but Friday is finally here. I was up early again today - wide awake at 430! I didn't get right up though. I laid in bed - watched the news - and played with Muppet. It was a very relaxing way to get up and start the day. No jarring alarm - no rushing around so as not to miss the bus. When I take Muppet out that early it is so quiet . . . . .no sounds coming from cars or other condos . . . a little eerie but also peaceful.

It is just about bedtime for me!!

De

****Enjoy this pic of Lindsay with Ann Curry from the Today Show****

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Being A Part of History

History has been made - Barack Obama has been elected as our next President. Yay!! The Washington Governor's race didn't go as well for me. I find it unbelievable that the results weren't even close - that Christine Gregoire won a second term even though during the last 4 years she put our state in to debt by 3.2 Billion Dollars!! I think if she were the CFO of a private company she would probably have lost her job by now. Sometimes I just can't believe the voters in this state - then again these are the same people that voted in 3 more levies that will raise taxes and the same ones that keep re-electing Greg Nickles as the Mayor of Seattle. Man - I think I need to move!

I am still having issues with the time change. I was up and out of the house by 600 this morning and at work with the computer on by 630. I got so much done in the first two hours this morning with no one else in the office - it was quiet and actually relaxing. I was off work by 300 - it was actually still light out! I got home and took Niki to her vet appointment - her mouth sores are back - so she got another cortisone shot. Dr Hougham is going to talk to an Animal Dentist and see what our options are. She doesn't need to be put to sleep - we just need to find a way for her to be comfortable. I swear - this is the house of misfit pets - kinda like that island of misfit toys in Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer - maybe Santa will bring Niki a new mouth - Muppet a new brain - Buffy a new ...actually Buffy doesn't need a new anything she needs some of her energy to be removed. Dear Santa . . . . . . . . .

L called me this morning during her morning break at work. She just wanted to chat. We talked about how she's been - work - she said maybe we could get together this weekend and she would give me a call. It made me smile!

I was going to bake tonight but my energy high from earlier in the day has gone away. I am getting sleepy and may just head to bed soon. OMG - up early - early to bed -I think I've become my Mom!!!

De

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Election Day

Not much to post about today. I was up early this morning - headed to my polling place and voted before work. There was a line before the doors opened but then we broke into different lines based on our precincts - i was 3rd in line for my precinct. I signed in - got my slip of paper - went to the electronic voting booth - and placed my vote. It was all very exciting!

Then it was off to work. I am doing very well on getting my month end items completed - I am actually a little ahead - knock on wood!!

This time change has thrown my internal clock all out of whack. Getting dark so early makes me sleepy! I don't think I am going to be able to stay up until they announce who won the election. I guess I will wake up tomorrow morning and find out who the next president is going to be. I am sure we won't know who the next Governor of WA is for awhile though - which is the race I am anxious to find out the outcome of.

Heading to bed -

De

Monday, November 3, 2008

Creepy Crawly

Last night there was something flying around the living room - I thought it was a fly or possibly a bee - it found it's way into a lamp and buzzed around the light bulb. When it was time for bed I didn't want to turn out the light until I knew for sure what it was. So I grabbed a chair to stand on so I could look down in to the lamp - It was not a fly or a bee - it was some weird looking beetle type bug. I have seen these outside before and I know they like to come in to L's room when her window is open because she has a hole in her screen and they can crawl in through that. I was not going to turn out the light and head to bed though because I would worry all night that it would crawl out of the lamp and then I wouldn't know where it was. I got a container and a lid and tried to scoop it out. That is when I noticed something very strange about this bug - the more I touched it and pissed it off the more it started to emit a very strange odor - it smelled like apples - and not just a slight smell of apples - it was a strong smell like a Jolly Rancher Sour Apple Candy. No - I was not imagining things - when I got to work this morning I googled bug that smells like apples and low and behold there it was - The Western Conifer Seed Bug - aka Whirligig Beetle and Striped Shield Bug.

Colleen and Lindsay were in New York over the weekend - Colleen ran in the NYC Marathon on Sunday. This morning they went to the Today Show - I set my DVR to record it just in case they were on TV. They were!! They were in the beginning pan shot at 800 and then when Al Roker was talking to a runner - Colleen was standing right next him. I couldn't keep the show on my DVR indefinitely so I rewound to the opening shot - paused it when Colleen and Lindsay were on screen - took a picture! It's like we were there with them! Well - except for the green DVR bar at the bottom.


I went to Target after work today - I now have 4 plastic storage bins - shampoo for the carpet - Febreeze for the mattresses. I did very well at Target - stuck to my list and didn't impulse buy anything. I am ready for the next step of cleaning up the 2nd bedroom.

De

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Extra Hour

Good Morning - did y'all remember to set your clocks back an hour last night? I love this time of year - gaining an hour instead of losing it. What are you going to do with your extra hour today? I will probably be finishing up clearing out L's room. I got out most of the garbage and what was left of her stuff - which is sitting in boxes out in the living room. I closed the door for a bit because then animals were going in there and eating anything I hadn't gotten up yet - gross! When I opened the door back up it still smelled in there - I think it must have been absorbed by the carpet so I will be heading to Target today to get the detergent for Mom's rug shampooer and see if I can't get that odor to go away. Oh - and if you think I was exaggerating about how disgusting it was in there take a look at these pictures from under her bed. And that is just the garbage - it doesn't include the piles upon piles of clothes that I dragged out of there last weekend.

Last night L called me at 1130 - her plans to stay at Kyle's house had fallen through - she had already called her grandparents to tell them she wasn't coming home so they locked the door - and she wanted to come crash here. I told her no - she got really mad - didn't understand why - which really translates to I don't like the answer no so I'm going to keep calling and arguing with you until you change your mind. She must have learned a little something from last weekend because she only called back 3 times instead of the 6+ last weekend.

Right now I am tracking Colleen at the NYC Marathon. I'll let you all know later how she did. Enjoy your hour!

De